Silent Hill
by Vile
Summary: A short story I wrote for my writing class based on the game.


**__**

This story is rated R by the National Association of Talking Orangutangs.

It's one in the morning and I haven't seen one other car on this God forsaken road. But I gotta keep driving. My name's Charles, Charles Morrisson. My life isn't so great. I divorced my wife four years ago. God I hope I never see that fucking bitch's face ever again. She ruined me. I've been working my ass off to support my 11-year-old daughter Katie, and we're just barely pulling through. It's a hard life for both of us. My wife walked away with half my bank account, and I still gotta pay her support every month since she's unemployed. Like she needs it. She's found some other rich sonofabitch who buys her everything she wants. I'm living from paycheck to paycheck, I'm supporting our daughter, and I still gotta pay her. 

Well, I used to live with my daughter. Last year she was kidnapped in her sleep. The police couldn't do shit. That's when I hit the skids. I was drinking till 4 in the morning five times a week. Debts were piling up, my job was about to lay me off, and, well, my life was just falling apart. Think my ex cared? I told her Katie was missing, and she just asked where her money for the month was. 

But yesterday I got a letter. No, a ransom note. On the back of a picture of my daughter. (Charles reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a 3X5 photo. There are scribbles on the back.) There's an address written on it, and a note: "If you ever want to see your child again, come meet us."

I don't know if this is some sick joke or what. But I don't give a fuck. If they robbed me, beat me, and left me to die I'd be grateful. If you had my life you'd agree with me. But still, for just any chance to see my daughter...

"Silent Hill". That's the name of this town I'm heading to. Can't say I know a thing about it, but I can tell you one thing: it sure isn't populated. I haven't seen one other person yet. A deserted town, the perfect hideout for the kind of sick fucks who would kidnap my daughter. I don't even want to imagine what they're doing to her.

I've been driving for hours. It must be four in the morning. A fog's started to come in. I've seen fog before, but Jesus Christ I can't see four feet in front of me. If I keep driving I'll get myself killed. I don't think there's anybody out here to steal my car anyway. Silent Hill is only a few miles away, I can make it. (Charles pulls to the side of the road and gets out to walk.)

Maybe I'm just tired, but I swear I'm seeing something ahead of me. (Charles waves and yells toward the figure to get its attention.) Is that even a person? There's something on its head, something big, but I through this fog I can't make anything out. It just looks like a big blur to me. (Charles calls out again. This time the figure turns around to face him.) That's a person all right. But something just seems wrong about it. He's just standing there, looking at me. I can't even see his face, but I can feel him staring. And I'm just standing there too. I don't know what to do. (The figure turns around and walks into the fog. In moments he disappears from view.)

I haven't seen that creature again. Hell, I haven't seen anything in this fog. No wonder nobody lives in this town. Silent Hill, they didn't name it that for nothing it seems. I'm walking down this street and seeing Pizza parlors, Chinese take-out restaurants, dry cleaners, a post office, you name it. But there isn't anything alive in here. 

This looks like the place.(Charles takes out the photo of his daughter. He looks at it for a moment, then flips it over to check the address.) Yeah, this is it. There's even a light on the porch. (Charles knocks on the door and yells into it. "Is somebody there?") Who am I kidding, there's nobody here. This is all one big joke. Some kids probably wrote that letter just to make me come all the way out here. But what the hell, it's not like I got anyplace to go back home anyway. 

Damn, the inside of this place looks worse than my home. The floors look like they're about to fall out from under me. It doesn't seem like they've painted these walls since the great depression. No pictures on the walls, no decorations, nothing. Just a big waste of space. Not even a chair to sit on. Just an old table with a projector. The thing looks like its forty years old. It's not even plugged in.

(Charles examines the projector for a few moments. He flicks on the switch and to his surprise the projector starts. Yet it only projects a blank, flickering white sheet onto the wall.) No slides in this thing. Or maybe I just don't know how to use it. 

Maybe I'm just imagining things, but I swear I hear someone crying. It sounds muffled, like its in the next room. I can't get any of the doors open. But something seems.... distant about the cries. I can't put my finger on it, but it's almost like I'm dreaming this. 

The crying's getting louder. I could swear it's right behind me, but whenever I turn I don't see a thing. My heart feels like it's about to jump out my chest. I can hear it beating. It's almost like a tribal drum. And honest, it's scaring the shit out of me. 

("Katie? Is that you?" Charles asks.) I tried to open the door to the next room, but the handle won't budge. Maybe she's under the floors? That would explain why it sounds so muffled. (Charles gets on his knees and puts his ear to the floor.) Nothing. Christ, it really sounds like there's somebody in this room though.

(The doorknob to the next room slowly turns. "Who's there?" asks Charles. The doorknob stops moving. Charles walks up to it and pulls the door open. A child stands in front of him. Her back is turned. "Katie?") There's some kid in front of me. Blonde hair, tied back. Like Katie used to wear it. And those are my daughter's clothes. But she's not even moving. (He turns the child around to face him. She holds her hands over her face tries to turn away. "Is that you Katie?" Charles asks, but the child does not answer.) 

Is this really my daughter? Somehow I feel like she is. But why is she turning away from me? (Charles grabs her wrists and pulls her hands away from her face. What appears to be a flesh-colored cloth is wrapped around her head, hiding her facial features. Charles tries to pull it off, but the cloth is firmly attached.) Christ, what the Hell is going on? Her face is covered with, it looks almost like another layer of skin was pulled over her. (The child walks forward, toward the projector. She stands in front of it and turns to the light. A face is projected onto her head, the face of Charles's ex-wife.) 

What the hell? That looks just like....my ex-wife, Margaret. God damn that bitch ruined me. She just turned ugly, started gaining a lot of wait, stopped keeping up on her appearance. She spent my entire paychecks on herself and never gave me a thing in return. She treated out daughter like shit and never lifted a finger to help either of us. (Charles stares at the child. He shuts off the projector, but he still sees his ex-wife's face on the child's head.)

No! This has to be a joke! I've gotta be dreaming this. (Charles's face goes red. He turns toward the child. "Margaret! You ruined me!" He lunges out toward the child and strikes her on her forehead. She falls to the floor and lies motionless.) God, what the hell did I just do? (Charles kneels over the child. He tries again to pull the cloth off her face. It peels off with ease.) God, that is my daughter! No, that isn't her. The face, it's...plastic. Like a doll. Christ what the hell is going on?

(Charles stands up and takes a step back. He feels himself bump into something. He turns around to find a 9 ft tall being standing on front of him. It looks like the figure he saw in the fog. It too has no face, but rather has what looks to be a rusted, metal helm in the shape of a pyramid. It wears what looks to be a dull white butcher's apron stained with blood. The demon holds a long, metal spear in its hand. It slowly advances toward Charles, who nervously backs away. The creature stops and then turns to face the child on the floor. It plunges its spear into her chest and lifts her up toward the ceiling. It points a finger at Charles, then drops the child onto the ground.)

That, that thing. That's the figure I saw in the fog. Did he take my child? Something in my heart tells me he's the one. But why? What does he want from me? (The creature walks slowly toward Charles. He runs to the front door, but can't get it open. He frantically runs to the other door, where the child had come in. On the other end is a long hallway which seems to go on for miles. Charles starts running down it.)

I'm way too old to be running like this. I can see Pyramid Head behind me. I'm hearing the crying again. It sounds just like my daughter. Katie, are you still alive? God I hope so. (A child walks into view at the end of the hall and calls out to Charles. "Daddy! Please come!") Is that really my daughter? I swear I'm seeing her at the end of this hall. Or is it another trick? But I'm not going to stop running, not with Pyramid Head on my tail. ("Daddy! Can you hear me? I need you!" the child cries. She then disappears from view.) I haven't run like this since my football days. But I have to run. My daughter is waiting for me, and I'm not going to let this monster get to her before I do.

(Charles reaches the end of the long hall and finds a door. He opens it and curiously finds himself back outside. It's pitch black, but there is no fog.)

I'm...home? I don't believe it, but this is definitely my backyard. I can see the light in my kitchen from here. I must have forgotten to turn it off. I can't believe it, how can I be back home? There's no way, this must all be a dream. Maybe when I turn my head that long hallway will be gone.

But it isn't. Did someone shape this area to look just like my backyard? There's a huge wire cage ahead of me, keeping me from going back to my house. Is that really my house though? Or is this all a set up? Whatever the case, Pyramid Head has vanished. 

("Daddy!" a voice cries.) That's my daughter! That's Katie, I just know it! ("Katie! Katie, where are you!" Charles shouts.) There isn't anything here. No, there's a tombstone here in front of me. I can't read the inscription. (Charles kneels down to read the tombstone, but it vanishes into thin air.) I gotta be imagining all this. I saw a tombstone, and when I knelt down to get a closer look it faded away. This is probably all just a bad dream. No, this is too real to be a dream. (Charles begins to dig into the ground near the phantom tombstone. To his surprise the ground is soft and easy to dig into, almost like sand. He then pulls something out of the ground.) A skull. Black as coal. And just the size to be...my daughter. (Charles drops the skull and begins to cry. He looks up to see Pyramid Head standing before him, motionless.)

"You! You killed her!" (Charles lunges at the Pyramid Head, but the demon grabs him by the neck and throws him backward.) This demon, I can't face up to him. He stole my daughter away, and I'm helpless to resist. I'm seeing fire all around me. It's growing, out of control. Pyramid Head is walking toward me, right through the sheets of flame. This demon, who stole my daughter away from me, this horrible creature from Hell, what does it want from me? (Pyramid Head brings its spear back, and it one quick motion plunges the point into Charles's chest. He falls backward into the flames.) 

I want to get up, but what good is it? My life is over. And it's going to get a lot hotter where I'm going.

(Charles lies motionless. He feels intense heat around him, but sees only darkness. He hears a voice call out to him.)

"Daddy?" 

"Katie! I'm so glad you're still alive!"

"I'm not. The body you found in the ground, that was me."

"But, in my own backyard, how?"

"Do you really not remember? You killed me in my sleep. You tried to hide my body by burying and burning it. No one ever found out."

"That can't be true! I'd never kill my own daughter!"

"Dad, you don't have to lie. I know it's hard for you to accept. Please, just tell me why you did it. I won't be able to rest in peace until I know."

"..."

"Daddy, please."

"Okay, it's true. And I'm not proud of it. It's just, it's your mother. I look in your eyes and see hers. I see her in the way you talk, the way you act, everything about you reminds me of her. I, I couldn't control myself. I hated her so much that I... I wish I could make it up somehow. I'd do anything to turn back time and make things different. I'm so sorry Katie."

(Charles no longer hears the voice of his child. In moments he takes his last breath.)

------------------------------------Scooby Doo Ending-----------------------------

Enough of this demon. Time to see who he REALLY is. (Charles tries to pull the pyramid shaped helm off the monster, but it won't budge. "Dude, that ain't a helmet. That IS my head, yo," says Pyramid Head. 

----------------------------------Way too Happy Ending-----------------------------

"Katie, you're still alive! But I thought,"

"No, you never killed me. You imagined all that. Then you got amnesia so you thought I was dead."

"Wait, can amnesia do that?"

"Then you figure out some better excuse! Did I mention your wife died a very painful death?"

"Really! Wait, is that briefcase full of money I see on the ground?"

-------------------------------------Wizard of Oz Ending-----------

"There's no place like home! There's no....what the fuck am I saying! I don't want to go home! Send me to Hell, please!"

--------------------------------------Dog Ending--------------------

"So it was the dog, all along. I should have known."

"Woof!"


End file.
